The info below was sent out by one of my favorite places to get treats for Jazz.

Chaining dogs is ILLEGAL as of 9/04 in Fulton County

In March for the city of Atlanta, a bill was unanimously passed that makes it illegal to chain or tether your dog up outside. It goes into effect on September 4, 2009, so owners have a six month grace period to adjust to the new law. Some owners constructed fences or pens for their dogs, but there are still a lot of dogs living on the end of chains.

Don't worry if you like to tie your dog up outside with you while you're washing the car or out barbecuing in the park. The new law allows dogs to be tied up if the owner is present. It's the owners that force their dogs to lives live entirely on chains that this law is for. It also requires owners to provide properly fitting collars or harnesses that are not excessively heavy. No more chains or cords are to be wrapped around their necks. What about the dog owners who truly love and care about their dogs but don't have the financial means to provide a fenced in yard? An amazing group, Dogs Deserve Better, already thought about this. They can help cash-strapped dog owners by building a dog pen. Contact your local Dogs Deserve Better Area Rep to find out more details.

I agree with this in principle, but not in practice. Here in JP, I have no choice on what to do with my dog. The property is impossibly small, its impossible to fence, and the dog TECHNICALLY isn't allowed inside. So, he spends several hours a day on a long, about 30 foot 1/4inch cable line. Fortunately, due to the design of the property, water spigot, trees, and house position....its impossibly for him to tangle himself or the line. The line also has 3 rotating points on it, 1 on the collar, one midline, one at the anchor plus a shock absorber. Believe me, its less than ideal by any standard....but I'm only in this shoebox for another 6 months or so. He does get to come in often and spends every night with us (except the first couple of days with new flea meds). The Akita though, is 100% inside, we're breaking the "no large dog" rule with him, so he has to be hidden away. I hate the retardness I've come to realize most of Japan is riddled with.

That being said....our neighbors dog is on-line 24/7....its not even well thought out. Hes got to be over 10 years old...and probably spent his entire life out there. I feel sorry for him.

Oh, it's hot & humid here alright!! High school sports have modified & light training in the summer because of it. We've had several "fit" students die of heat stroke & heat related illnesses in the summer, a fair number of dogs & elderly as well. This law was brought about on 2 points - health & dog bites.

Supposedly a dog on a chain is much more likely to bite than one that isn't - I believe they were referring to dogs chained all the time, so they aren't being socialized.

I don't live in Fulton County so I really wasn't aware of this law until this shop sent out the info.